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Germany Films
9/6/2005 16:51

ONE DAY IN EUROPE
Synopsis: 4 cities, 8 languages and a wave of robberies on the day of soccer's Champion's League final. Welcome to Europe!
Four colorful and light-hearted stories about quirky characters and amusing misunderstandings that cross-cultural communication often provides. All take place on the single day in different cities, and in each case those language barriers are compounded by a chaos of another sort£ºon this particular day, the whole of Europe is in high fever over soccer's Champion's League final between Galatasaray Istanbul and Deportivo La Coruna which is taking place in Moscow...
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DOWNFALL
Synopsis: Berlin, April 1945. A nation awaits its downfall. Fighting rages in the streets of the capital. Hilter and his closet confidantes have barricaded themselves in the Fuehrer's Bunker. Among them, Traudi Junge, Hitler's private secretary. Outside, the situation escalates. Although Berlin can no longer be held, the Fuehrer refuses to leave the city. While the full force of the war crashes down over his folk, he stages his final departure. Only hours before their joint suicide, he marries Eva Braun. Then their corpse is burned. Many others also choose suicide. Magda Goebbels poisons her six children before she and her husband take their own lives, Shortly thereafter Traudl Junge and several others leave at the last minute...

EDELWEISS PIRATES
Synopsis: In the dying days of the Third Reich, two young brothers go head-to-head over their ideologies. Peter has taken up his father's cause and joined the Hitler Youth, but Karl is a member of the anti-Nazi gang known as the Edelweiss Pirates. The two groups battle constantly amid the ruins of Cologne, where war-torn families live in fear under the tightening grip of the Gestapo.
The Pirates' minor skirmishes escalate into a deadly game when they rescue an escaped prisoner, the charismatic bomb expert, Hans. He takes up their cause and convinces the Pirates to help him on a daring mission to blow up Gestapo headquarters.
Crushed by the news that his father's faith in the Third Reich was a lie, Peter becomes disenchanted with the Hitler Youth and joins the Pirates under Hans' guidance. Now Karl must protect his small family from the tyranny of the Gestapo despite Peter's stubborn loyalty to his new father figure.
When their attack goes horribly wrong, the Pirates are thrown in jail, and the brothers separated. Under the torture of the Gestapo, they now face a terrible decision: betray their leader to save themselves, or stand by their beliefs and die with honor.
Edelweiss Pirates is a true story of courage and human dignity in the midst of the oppressive Nazi regime.

THE NINTH DAY
Synopsis: There was a catholic priest from Luxembourg imprisoned in the concentration camp Dachau during the Second Word War. He wrote a diary describing daily camp life. But for 9 days he is allowed to get back to his family for the funeral of his mother. It is known that he is interrogated by the GESTAPO. But he does not tell anything about it in his diary. We are told the story of a young Nazi official who tries to convince the priest to get his bishop to stop his passive resistance.. Very good music, though and some good scenes of the concentration camp life.


THE SMILE OF THE MONSTERFISH
Synopsis: MALTE (17) wants to leave his hometown of Ahlbeck, a vacation resort near the Polish border on the Baltic Sea island of Usedom. The sooner the better. But two things are holding him back: his father, an alcoholic, and the return of his sister with his nephew-all of them demanding his attention and help. And there's ANNIKA, a beautiful girl vacationing on the island, who Malte would like to devote his attention to...


BAREFOOT
Synopsis: Nick Keller is the black sheep of his family. He loses one job after another. His stepfather Heinrich and his brother Viktor consider him a looser. Only his mother really believes in him.
At his new job in a psychiatric clinic, Nick prevents at a young woman, Leila, from committing suicide at the last minute. When Nick leaves the clinic that evening, she secretly follows him and shows up in his kitchen in the middle of the night: wearing a nightgown and barefoot.
Nick doesn't know what to do, Leila refuses to go back to the clinic. She has decided to stay with him. Nick, who has never taken on responsibility for anyone in his whole life, and Leila, who grew up completely isolated from the outside world, take off on a trip together: one that will change their lives ...

SOUNDLESS
Synopsis: A man leaves a bedroom and walks out onto his balcony, another man silently appears behind him. There is a short puff of air as the assassin's silenced pistol finds its mark. Back in the bedroom the assassin points his weapon at the sleeping woman, but instead of killing her, he leaves the apartment. As a professional killer, Viktor's always kept that need hidden away. But now...
The murder case is taken over by Inspector Lang, an unusual and cleverly intuitive cop who is able, merely by minutely observing the crime scene, to delve deeply into the killer's psyche. Checking through unsolved but similar murder, Inspector Lang stumbles on an old incident involving a nine year-old boy who avenges the murder of his parents by shooting their killer, directly under the eyes of the police. Following his uncanny instincts, Lang concludes that the boy and the assassin are the same person, and eventually he unearths a man named Martin, an old war buddy of the boy's father.
The next day Nina, dazed and overwhelmed by the man's murder, leaps from a bridge into the river. Viktor, who had been following her, jumps in to save her life. Despite the dangers of letting his defenses down, Viktor falls in love with Nina but he doesn't trust her enough to reveal his true identity. Viktor completes this last contract on the Russian politician, but Nina had followed him and now knows that he's an assassin...
At this point Inspector Lang has made all the connections. Feeling triumphant, he assembles an elite commando unit and follows Nina to her rendezvous with Viktor...

SOPHIE SCHOLL - THE FINAL DAYS
Synopsis: Spring 1943. The Germans have lost the battle for Stalingrad and, in Munich, members of the White Rose infiltrate the city with a wave upon wave of anti-Hitler activities and slogans. Sophie and Hans Scholl are busy distributing flyers in the main hall of Munich University when they are observed and arrested. From this point on, the film adopts Sophie's perspective to tell the story of the interrogations that followed their arrest, as well as the brother and sister's trial and pronouncement of their sentence.
At first, Sophie feigns innocence, fighting tooth and nail to secure her and her brother's release. However, sensing that the death penalty awaits them, she then does her best to protect her brother and the other resistance fighters. Gestapo man Mohr begins to admire Sophie and indicates that he will help her if she admits to being a fellow-traveller. But Sophie refuses to give up her conviction, instead confronting Mohr with his own unthinking perception of what is right and just.
Roland Freisler, chief of the Nazis' "People's Court", is sent from Berlin to Munich to conduct a show trial against the students - in spite of the fact that the death penalty has already been decided from the outset. At a hearing that makes a mockery of all the rules of jurisprudence, Sophie and her brother are sentenced to the death penalty. During the trial, Sophie battles so brilliantly against Freisler (who is positively snorting with rage) that her steadfast behaviour even wins her the approval of the male Nazi spectators at court.
As soon as the trial is over, the brother and sister are taken away to Stadelheim to be executed. They are allowed to say goodbye to their parents before sharing their final cigarette. History has of course shown that Sophie Scholl was right in her last, defiant prediction to Freisler: "You're hanging us today but, tomorrow, it'll be your heads that will roll!"

WILLENBROCK
Synopsis: Bernd Willenbrock is a pretty lucky guy. He¡¯s got a flourishing used-car dealership, a lovely wife, a patient girlfriend, a new house in the suburbs and a quaint old one in the country. But he¡¯s also got something that makes him uniquely likeable: a pragmatic sense of his own value, a self-confidence that makes him feel he can overcome every setback. His courtship of a pretty young university student is brash and ultimately hopeless, yet it¡¯s somehow endearing. And when four cars are stolen from his lot, his reaction is admirably even-tempered. But his grip on life begins to slip when he and his wife are viciously attacked by burglars in their home, and the police let the presumed assailants go free¡­Willenbrock feels vulnerable, perhaps for the first time in his life, Even as he forces himself to go on as before, nothing is as it was. A revolver gives him a sense of security¡ªbut as fear begins to take hold of him, the revolver turns into a time bomb waiting to go off¡­

THE CHALLENGE
Synopsis: After a series of natural catastrophes and global economic collapse, the world has become a lawless place. Anarchy rules the streets, and warlords take power by brute force. The ruined cities are filled with street children and orphans who are terrorized and robbed of their food and last possessions. One warlord is Bosco, a ruthless killer who is obsessed with perfecting his power through martial arts. Together with Cleo, Bosco¡¯s lascivious partner, he kills master Thach, keeper of a sacred book of martial arts.
Master Thach¡¯s last pupil is Jonas, an orphan whom master Thach raised and taught all he knew. Jonas survived Cleo and Bosco¡¯s attack with the help of a friend, and now returns to the city to reclaim the lost book. Jonas is an excellent martial arts fighter, and he has a pure heart. In the city he meets Vincent Vince Lakotta and Marie, Vincent¡¯s beautiful and smart sister, and their tough gang of street kids. Together, they begin a campaign to give back to the poor and end Bosco¡¯s rule. Unfortunately, one of the gang members, Malta, is moved by jealousy of Jonas to betray the gang¡¯s hideout. Bosco¡¯s soldiers decimate the gang, recapture the book, and take Vince prisoner. This is the bait to lure Jonas and Marie to Bosco¡¯s hideout. In the final showdown, our heroes overcome Bosco and Cleo and a new dawn appears in this dark time.

DON'T LOOK FOR ME
Synopsis: Anna is a contract killer. She doesn¡¯t feel any guilt, but it¡¯s a lonely job. Her boss, Lewin, is the only person she can trust, and he¡¯s a cold professional. While setting up a hit, she meets Lino, whose kind and easygoing nature fascinates her. They spend a night together, but no more. She cannot allow herself the luxury of a relationship. Her next ¡°Mark¡± turns out to be a professional killer who wants to retire. She is caught off guard, is wounded and just barely manages to escape. Not sure if she can still trust Lewin, she goes to Lino¡¯s. He wants her to confide in him but she can¡¯t. Gradually though, as she recovers, she opens up to him. Lewin tracks Anna down and insists she attend to her unfinished business, which she does. When she then says she wants to retire, Lewin agrees ¨C on one condition. She must take out Lino.

CLOSE
Synopsis: Jost roams through the streets of Berlin.
He opposes the world enraged, aggressively and furiously in a self-destructive way. He continuously provokes situations proving him that everybody hates him. He is convinced he does not need anybody and does not let anyone get close to him.
Anna is walled in her fear and unable to leave her apartment. She manages to keep this situation from all the others in a system of lies.
He reserves draw to a close. She heads for the catastrophe.
One day Jost shows up at her door.

ADIL IS LEAVING
Synopsis: In a small town of Germany, a group of young people formed a Hip-hop band because of their common interest, besides that£¬their common identity of immigrants. The contest was coming, however, Adil, the leader of the band, had to be sent back to his own country with his family. Other members were also struggling to get a resident certificate. At last, Adil stayed for the contest while facing the deportation of the police. How would Adil and his friends deal with all these?

VACUUM
Synopsis: It is the year 2024. 27-year old Mick works for Singen Industries, the market leader in information technology. One day his as an engineer brings him to a HIVE. This enormous, completely sterile building provides a living and workspace for people whose malfunctioning immune systems would make a life in the outside world impossible. When Mick works on the outside of the massive glass fa?ade, the unbelievable happens: Lilia, his childhood sweetheart, who had been thought dead, enters the room behind the window, and long forgotten feelings come back. Although divided by the strong insulating glass, in the moments together they find happiness as never experienced before.
When Lilia¡¯s only friend inside the HIVE mysteriously disappears, the darker side of Singen Industries¡¯ technological achievements becomes apparent. Now Lilia is in great danger. To save her, Mick needs to enter the forbidden zone of the heart of the HIVE. But even his mere presence inside the HIVE¡¯s carefully balanced system puts Lilia¡¯s life at risk. Taking her out of there would mean to kill her.
And yet- in a world where everything is ruled by cold technology, life itself may be the only thing you ultimately cannot lose.

COLD VOID
Synopsis:When Italy declares war on Germany in October 1943, sections of the 5th German mountain division are stationed in Austrian/Italian border region of the Alps. Small groups secure a frontline of 260 km with bases at heights above 3000m, cut off from supplies
COLD VOID tells the story of a group of five men, who are forced not only to deal with extreme climatic conditions, packed together in tight space, but to an even greater degree with the relationships developing between them. The film does not focus on genre-like heroic actions of the protagonists, but rather on the struggle and the search for the humanity in everyone's personal, moral failure.

TRUTH OR DARE
Synopsis: Eighteen-year-old Annika is desperate. A year before her final exam she is kicked out of school. Game over.
Annika won't pass her A-Levels!
Annika feels completely lost in her life and does not dare to tell her parents the truth, afraid to disappoint them. She keeps the routine going, wanting to buy time: every morning she leaves home pretending to go to school, when in fact she hides day by day in an old bus wreck, waiting for good opportunity to confess. This is how she gets to know Kai who lives in the council estates nearby the bus. After a while, Kai seems to be the only person who stands by her, particularly after she is dumped by her first love, the smart math student Uli.
The lie becomes the most important part of Annika's life, dominating it, taking control, as she struggles to keep up the illusion. But Annika's permanent lying threatens to destroy her newly found love to Kai. Annika has to make a decision.



 Source:www.siff.com